Spread the love
Want to know how I know that the Fujifilm GFX100RF was made for photographers and not really for video shooters? Well, there are a lot of ways. But perhaps my favorite is that, like the Fujifilm X100vi, they didn’t even put a video record button on it. Then there’s the fact that it has a fixed lens prime, a GF format sensor, and Fujifilm even stopped playing around and gave us a lens hood, the lens filter, etc. There’s truly a lot to love about this camera. But most of all, it hold’s Fujifilm’s greatest strengths: the film simulations. The thing about Fujifilm cameras is that even if your subject is out of focus by a little bit, the image still looks great, especially when combined with skin smoothing. And to be honest, this is the first camera I’ve shot with that isn’t something from Leica or Panasonic that I’ve really fallen for.
I’m not going to write this article like our traditional reviews. But instead, I’m going to just talk about this product and really express how deeply affectionate for it I am.
The Fujifilm GFX100RF made me pen this article about how photographers should spend a year with a single lens and a single camera. It seemed many of you agreed.
So, how do I sum up the Fujifilm GFX100RF review? You’ll truly want to bring this camera everywhere when slung around your shoulder or neck and when using the right camera strap. It’s small, well built, durable, lightweight enough, and has the controls put exactly where you need them, But in program and aperture priority, you won’t really need to mess around with them. It’s also a camera that will make you need to get used to new things. For years, my base ISO was ISO 400 — which is a practice from the film days and early digital days. With the Fujifilm GFX100RF, I tend to go for ISO 1600 or so instead and embrace the facy that I’m at a higher ISO. That’s because I need a faster shutter speed to counter the fact that even at slower shutter speeds, I still have issues with camera shake. This is what modern digital photography does — it forces you to forget good form. And in many ways, this camera is a return to that.
This lesson is one of the best things about the Fujifilm GFX100RF. I’m a 38-year old middle-aged man who has been shooting and writing for the better part of 20 years now. At a certain point, it’s hard to feel like you’re growing as a photographer anymore. But when you feel the growth — it’s quite an emotionally rewarding thing. And the Fujifilm GFX100RF makes me feel like I’m growing and being reintroduced to concepts that I’d forgotten about due to suing new cameras.
Fujifilm also includes multiple exposure modes in their cameras — though you can’t edit the RAW file later on.
And that’s another thing — only Panasonic, Leica, and Nikon really tend to give me images that I feel I never really have to edit. This is the first Fujifilm GFX series camera that I’ve felt that way about since the GFX 50R. And truly, I think that part of that is because of how rangefinder-style camera bodies make me feel when I shoot. I tend to feel closer to my subject, much more confident, and happier overall. Camera bodies like this make photography a joyous experience again.
This, inherently, is one of those situations where the gear truly does matter. Holding various kinds of SLR-style camera bodies becomes monotonous after a while. But using rangefinder-style cameras feel like not only wearing the perfect pair of jeans that won’t rip, but also have a material that feels incredible. To that end, it becomes nearly invisible as an experience — kind of like the act of breathing air or being able to see perfectly clearly.
The Fujifilm GFX100RF is pretty universally a wonderful camera. I put it in the hands of Sony, Fujifilm, Leica, and Canon shooters. All of them appreciate the weight, the hard lines, etc. Fujifilm is bound to really knock it out of the park with this one.
I’ve talked a bit about my experience of using it. So what do I not like?
- Fujifilm still doesn’t have a touchscreen menu system, which is really annoying
- It’s hard to switch between scene detection modes — which sometimes I want to do when I want to photograph an adorable dog on the street
- Autofocus on people in low light is still behind everyone else, but Fujifilm can kind of get away with it because of the looks that the film simulations deliver
- I still wish that Fujifilm gave us more film simulations
That’s really about it. In reality, all of these can be fixed with firmware updates if Fujifilm truly cared to do them.
But the big question that everyone wants to know the answer to: why? Why spend so much money to buy this camera when there are no interchangeable lenses? And I believe that you’re thinking about it all wrong. This is something for the photographer I like to say is camera monogamous. For years, the industry has taught us to have two camera bodies with backup lenses and all. But for the photographer that knows what they want, goes for a single lens and a single body, this is the camera.
Before you make any assumptions, hear me out. I really came to this conclusion upon learning more and more about myself. I know what I want in life — and sometimes people around me will question whether or not I really know my own desires. This past weekend, I spent some time with a dear friend in Williamsburg, my old neighborhood. There, I went to two fragrance shops and immediately told them the scent notes that I crave. Both sotre employees said the same things: I was the easiest, kindest customer that they had all week, and they loved the fact that I was so well define in knowing what I want. That experience, of course, comes with exploring.
I mean, how can someone say that they know what the best pizza is when they haven’t had had the worst pizza?
Holistically throughout life, I know what I like and I tolerate things that don’t necessarily mesh with what I want. Unfortunately, what I want isn’t what the majority of photographers want.
But this camera? This is something that I want. I know my creative vision. I know how to use a tool to make it work for my own creativity. And there’s very little about the performance and camera body itself that I don’t like.
The Fujifilm GFX100RF is truly a companion camera for the experienced photographer that is sick of having a plethora or everything and wants to keep a simple kit and a versatile mind that doesn’t make the technology do all the work for them. This photographer wants to zoom with their feet. They know that a lens has more than one aperture. When working with the camera, they also know how to practice good focusing and shooting techniques. And most importantly, they understand that are the ones that take all the steps to make the photograph — not an automatic process.
As I type that, I remember that I often also shot from the hip when using the GFX100RF because I had a pretty solid idea that I knew what I was going to get with it.
What I really want to know, though, is this: What took so long? The answer is my eyes is that there’s way too much nonsense going on with trying to cater to social media to the point where we as photographers have forgotten all about why we do what we do.
